Spencer Hastings makes shockingly bad choices. (ctrl_a) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-10-22 21:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, nico robin, spencer hastings |
Who: Nico Robin & Spencer Hastings
When: Recently
What: Catching a Lecture
Where: UC:Irvine
Warnings/rating: Low/None
Status: Complete!
The lecture was turning out to be less interesting than Robin had hoped it would be. A lecture titled Social Networking and the Impacts on Modern Society had certainly sounded interesting when Robin had found it among the university’s catalogue of classes. However, the professor standing behind the podium at the front of the hall as though it were a barrier between him and the room full of fresh-faced youths was anything but captivating. The man droned on like the teacher from that 80’s movie about the high school student who took a joyride to Chicago with his two best friends.
Robin had known 15 minutes into the hour and a half long lecture that she had made a horrible mistake. Professor DullAsNails first order of business was to give a history lesson about social networks, how they had been formed and grown, as if anyone sitting in the room had never even heard of Facebook, though Robin was sure a few of them had probably never even heard that thrilling noise of a 10.80 modem connecting to the wonderful sterile world of America Online.
History was exciting. It was important, but this professor was certainly showing Robin why it was people would think it to be dull. How could someone take something so relevant and make it tedious.
It would be rude for Robin to get up in the middle of the lecture and leave, even if she was seated in the back and it was doubtful the professor would even pause his monotone speech once he heard the door open and close. Robin was fortunate, though. While most of these students were stuck with this class for the remainder of the semester, she didn’t have to come back.
Her attention was wandering. If she couldn’t take interest in the subject matter, than she could take interest in the students around her.
Spencer arrived a few minutes late to this class, having been told that it was in a different room. Actually, it was supposed to be in a different room entirely, which made Spencer run ridiculously late. She snapped at the stupid TA in the previous room, and pulled out her phone to get better directions.
So when she slipped into the back of the lecture hall, glowing phone in hand, she found the nearest seat. It just happened to be next to a raven-haired girl who looked bored out of her mind. Spencer forced a smile as she sat down then shifted in her chair, cleared her throat, and turned to the woman.
“You don’t happen to have a copy of the syllabus for this class, do you?” Spencer asked, her voice a low, apologetic whisper.
The door opening and closing caught Robin’s attention. She watched a harried girl slipped into the room and, while attempting to go unnoticed, slunk along the back row of seats. She raised a brow curiously when the girl slid into the remarkably open seat next to her.
She had to keep from chuckling when the poor girl leaned over and asked her for a copy of syllabus. Robin was still in her twenties (although thirty was quickly creeping up on her), but it was always flattering when someone mistook her for an actual student.
She leaned closer to answer in a low voice, her eyes darting to the front of the lecture hall. As she suspected, Professor Monotone either hadn’t noticed the girl enter, or honestly didn’t care enough to interrupt his diatribe. Robin turned her attention to her new neighbor. “I’m not a student,” she said with a mischievous little smile. “So, you can have mine.” She handed her the piece of paper that she had been absently doodling what could pass for abstract art.
“Oh.” Spencer wondered for a moment why the other girl--woman?--would be in this class if she wasn’t actually a student? Was she a friend of the professor? Spence hadn’t heard much of the teacher’s lecturing style, but from what little she’d gathered, this wasn’t an exciting course by any stretch of the imagination.
“Thank you,” she said, and accepted the paper. “This is lovely,” Spencer added, a little playfully, as she motioned to the doodles with her pen.
The lecture was continuing to drone on. The professor didn’t seem at all aware that he was putting his students asleep. In front of her Robin could see students with half lidded eyes staring off towards the back of the room, or towards the ceiling, or towards the windows, perhaps imagining what they could be doing now instead of seated in this stuffy room bored out of their skulls. Some students had their chins in their hands to keep from nodding off, while others had actually put their heads down. With the professor completely oblivious to all of this, Robin didn’t mind in the slightest having a little quiet conversation with her neighbor.
“Thank you,” she smiled to the girl next to her. “I had to do something to keep occupied. It’d be rude to just get up and walk out. Its unfortunate, the subject matter is actually quite interesting.” She set her own chin in her hand. “At least the reading material has to be more engaging, right?”
“It is, really.” Spencer said, finding some amusement in looking around the lecture hall, too. She saw some people had an audio recorder on their desks and simply put their heads down for a nap. But hey, if it was boring now, it’d be boring later, too, wouldn’t it? And one guy was playing video games on his laptop instead of paying attention--she could see it from their vantage point at the back of the hall.
“Hopefully the reading material won’t be as droll. I need this class for one of my General Ed Requirements.” Spencer said, glancing over the reading list on the syllabus.
Robin’s eyes passed over the rest of the class. A small smirk played on her lips. It was a far cry from when she had attended college. No lap tops to play video games on in her day. Although, Robin was fairly convinced that she would have been more occupied looking up old photographs than playing video games.
The video game looked interesting, though. Very pretty.
“I certainly hope so,” Robin answered the girl as she turned her attention back towards her. “Otherwise I’m afraid a lot of your fellow students will be dropping this class. What are you studying for?”
“Right now I’m aiming for International Relations. My father was hoping I would get into some sort of Government job, and I’ve done a lot of leadership and public speaking… politics… in my past. Not all that interested? I’ve got an internship at Stark Industries in their International HR department.” Spencer babbled. Then she realized the other young woman probably didn’t care that much, and paled. “Sorry. My future is a bit uncertain. Whenever I talk to people about it, I feel like I’m trying to convince myself that I’m doing the right thing.”
“Oh, Stark Industries,” Robin said with a knowing nod. “That must be very interesting.” She tilted her head a little to the side thoughtfully. “It’s alright. I’ve been fortunate to know what it is I wanted to do from a young age.” She chuckled a little, “but that didn’t necessarily mean it was what I was destined to do. Same can be said for all of us, really. But there isn’t anything wrong with that. Being at school will give you the chance to figure it out for yourself. Do you see yourself in a government job?” Robin asked. “Or at a company like Stark Industries?” She set her chin in her palm and regarded the girl with a kind smile. “Or maybe doing something completely different?”
“Honestly, I would have given you a completely different answer just a few short weeks ago, but now? Now I like what I’m doing at Stark Industries. Interning there is great, but I know if I want to work there full time I’ll have to have a degree. And so far it leaves me a lot of time to work on schoolwork--which will hopefully translate to a lot of time to pursue my non-work related passions down the road.” Spencer replied.
Robin smiled at her, her eyes crinkling into pleasant little wrinkles at the corners. “That sounds like a marvelous plan,” she said. “And your answer might change again in a year. A lot can happen in that time. Your situation may change, what you like to do may change. It’s all a part of life. This is the time for you to not only learn academics, but learn about yourself too.”
Without taking her chin from her palm, Robin looked towards the front of the room. “For instance, today you have learned that this professor is dreadfully dull,” she said with a slight frown. “An entire afternoon wasted.” She sighed a little forlornly, “and it had sounded so interesting in the course catalogue too.” She looked back at the girl, that happy smile was back, “it seems we both learned something today.”
Spencer gave a little chuckle. “Very dull.” She agreed with a nod. “At least for you it’s only an afternoon.” The other woman had said she was sitting in, but not officially enrolled. “I’ve got to follow through to the end of the semester. At least the course material will be interesting, if not the teacher’s presentation.” She smiled again. “I’m Spencer, by the way.”
“Robin,” Robin answered, offering her hand, “a pleasure to meet you. I tend to sit in on a number of classes throughout the semester. Hopefully we’ll see each other around.” She chuckled softly. “Indeed, I only have to waste an afternoon. I’m sorry that you’re stuck here, though. I honestly hope that today isn’t an indicator of what is to come. Hopefully as you delve deeper into the course the good professor here will adjust his lecture style.” She gave Spencer a wink.
“Fingers crossed.” Spencer responded with a smile as she shook the other woman’s--Robin’s hand. “Either that, or I’ll get a good nap twice a week, and rely on my own research to complete the course materials.” She couldn’t help but smirk a little at that. Spencer Hastings could pass any class she put her mind to.
“If you have a laptop, you could bring it,” Robin said, and surreptitiously pointed at the young man a few rows ahead of them still playing his video game. She chuckled softly, “it does not appear as though the good professor much cares if his students are paying attention or not.” Or it could be he was just that oblivious. Robin was willing to bet that he was used to it by this time and just didn’t care any more.
“Well, that’s true. I’ll have a chance to catch up on my social networking,” Spencer teased, grinning down at the guy who had his video game open. “I suppose he gets paid either way. I’m assuming Mr. Droll is tenured.” Spencer dug into her pocket to pull out her phone and check the time. The clock on the wall must have stopped.
“I’m sure even if he wasn’t, he’d still be getting a paycheck,” Robin agreed. “I don’t think a professor’s pay is dependent on the involvement of his class.” She glanced at her watch as well. Thank goodness the class would be coming to an end soon. Her conversation with Spencer had been a wonderful way to pass the time. She had completely lost track of what the professor had been talking about. “I’m sorry I’ve been distracting you this entire time,” she said.
“That’s true. But if all the students are failing, someone’s bound to notice.” Spencer thought on that for a moment. “I suppose it must be a relatively easy class if no one’s paying attention and yet the teacher’s still teaching it.” Then the brunette glanced back over to the professor at the podium. “Oh. Yeah. I should probably at least try to pay attention.” She gave Robin a smile. “It was nice meeting you, though.”
“You would think,” Robin agreed with a nod of her head. For Spencer’s sake, Robin hoped that the class would be easy enough, or in the very least all the information she truly needed to get out of the class would be covered in the reading material. Again, Robin hoped that would be far more interesting than the professor himself.
She gave Spencer another warm smile. “Pleasure was mine. We’ll probably see each other around campus a few more times. I own a little antique store called Remember Yesterday. If you ever have the spare time and find yourself in the area, please feel free to stop in.”
Spencer nodded, smiling softly. She liked Robin, and hoped they’d see each other again. “Remember Yesterday? I’ll remember that.” Spencer teased a little, the smile brightening. “I’ll definitely come and see you sometime.”